NCJ Number
135004
Date Published
1992
Length
376 pages
Annotation
Conflict theory is applied in this book to examine slow but progressive changes in the role of female offenders and professionals in the criminal justice system; essays reflect the feminist perspective and incorporate race, ethnicity, and international data where available.
Abstract
The first section presents a collection of essays on the processing of female offenders through the criminal justice system. The focus is on patriarchy, power differentials, criminal codes, female offenders in New Jersey, issues of gender and race in police-citizen encounters, female offender statistics, women in prison, Project Met (a community-based educational program for female offenders), probation, and parole. The second section concerns women as victims of rape, spouse abuse, incest, and sexual harassment. These chapters reflect changes in women's roles and the impact of the feminist movement. They indicate that the victimization perspective of many traditional criminologists has been replaced with concern for the revictimization of women by the attitudes and policies of criminal justice system officials. The final section examines the changing roles of women as professionals in criminal justice agencies, including police academies and police work, the legal profession, and the use of female correctional officers in male prisons. The book was written as a text for college classes in criminology and women's studies and as an aid for academic researches and criminal justice system officials. References and tables